The old timer that I fly with ran across a rare find today.....an original, complete ,unbuilt Top Flite Taurus. He is an old pattern flyer from the 60's and 70's, so he is familiar with this kit. He asked me to post a question here, since he has no use whatsoever for a computer. He read that the plane has a 70" wingspan, but calls for a 40 size engine. He wants to go with a bigger engine...say a 60 2-stroke or a 91 4-stroke. He realizes that this is a pretty rare kit, and doesen't want to butcher it ....so he wanted me to ask if any of you guys have/had this plane, and what engine you used in it. Also, he is considering taking the plans and having a kit cut, and keeping the original just as it is. Any thoughts?

I flew mine with an OS 46FX and then and OS 55AX. The 46 is perfectly fine. The 55 is also a good choice. I used an APC 12.25X3.75 prop and it really screams, literally. I personally would say that the 91 four-stroke would make the plane weigh more than it needs to and you would lose some of the planes original appeal.

I think he's contemplating flying it at some SPA meets. He's got 91's in all of his current competition planes. Does the .46 fly it well enough to fly in competition?

Any good .40 class engine will fly the airplane fine, provided it comes out around 5.5lb. Over 6.5 lb a nice light .50~.60 will be needed. As for competing with a Taurus? (Sucking of teeth sound). It is a very good aerobatic airplane, when you know it well enough to be able to get it to stall, every time, on demand. It does not like it, and if you can't stall it, it won't spin, and you will lose points every time. So, in my humble opinion, no, it is not a good 'competition' airplane, but you will be hard pressed to find a better flying airplane, anywhere.
Evan.

Thank you for that info. Not sure what he'll do with it, but I'll keep you guys posted. Thanks again.

I'm not a competition pilot but have watch several BPA/SPA events and the Taurus has not be a competitor. That said, the plane flies very well and does a lot aerobatic maneuvers. Keeping the airplane light is a goal. Therefore, the smaller two-strokes.

A .45 to .60 is plenty. .91's are overkill.

Try this option it works great for me,scorpion 4020-10 on 6s 12x6 prop[img][/img]

He has decided not to build the Taurus. He has decided to sell it. He's not usually interested in a plane unless it's good for pattern meets. I'm going to his house tomorrow morning, and take some photos of the kit. I'll post them here, too, in case any of you guys are interested.

Scott, before he sells, makes sure he copies everything, and builds one as his practise plane. He will be pleased he did, and it can still go to competitions as a back-up model.
Evan.

Here are the photos. He says the kit is complete. There is some water damage on the box, but the wood is not affected. I thought I'd post the photos here, let you guys look them over to make sure there aren't any glaring problems, and then list it in the classifieds.....sooooo, if you guys don't mind, look the pics over and let me know if you see something wrong, or if you don't see something that should be there. I want to be truthful when i list it, and I know nothing at all about this kit. Thanks.

...more pics

Guys, I'm gonna list the kit in the classifieds in a few days, but I really have no clue as to what it's worth. I'd really appreciate some advice on an asking price. I don't want to waste my time by asking too much, but I seriously doubt that my friend will give it away either. If the owner of the kit weren't a good friend, I'd not bother with it at all. So, please, if some of you guys don't mind, give me an idea of where to start. Thanks in advance.
Scott

I think they go anywhere from 200 and up. Would I pay that much for an old Top-Flite kit, no way!! Just takes the right buyer to get the big money. It looks complete, which is very good.

A nib kit on fleabay just went for $306. That's usually the going rate.

Thanks. That gives me an idea where to start.

I flew a Taurus for years with an O. S. Gold Head .60. I flew it with the balsa wing and a foam core wing. Flew great with the .60, balanced okay and not over powered and you can throttle back because with that wing it will fly at very slow speeds.

I had one with a .60 on it. Too much power. Ed flew his airplane with a K&B .45 but without a muffler. You can overstress the wing(Don't ask) so a .46AX is about perfect as they tend to come out about 5.5lbs without much effort. I do believe they used to use a "kick-up" elevator on the old reed system to get it to spin.